College Friend
by CrimMindsReid
Summary: One-shot I wrote up during my lunch period. I just had to post it. What if our Reid had a friend at Cal-Tech? How did they meet? Set in 1993


Young Spencer Reid walked up the stairs from the basement, that held his advanced chemistry class and out the nearest door, relieved to finally be away from everyone else bigger than him.

He sat down on a nearby bench by a full-grown oak tree and began to do all his homework. By the time he was halfway through, he heard footsteps approach him.

He turned his head toward the footsteps and saw a girl who couldn't have been much older than him.

The girl saw him looking at her and said, "You should take a picture it will last longer."

"E-excuse me," Spencer stammered.

The girl walked over to him and said, "I said, take a picture it will last longer."

Spencer didn't cower in fear, like he usually did when someone talked to him, but this girl was different, she didn't sound mean or insulting. She had this lightness her voice, that made her seem so gentle and kind.

"What's your name," the girl asked interrupting his thoughts.

"Spencer," Spencer replied.

"I'm Jenni," the girl said. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

"I come out here to study and not have to worry about anyone disturbing me," Spencer replied, finding it so easy to talk to her.

"You're a student here," Jenni asked, confused.

"Yeah I know, it's weird seeing someone like me, here in a college," Spencer mumbled.

Jenni shook her head and said, "No I don't. I'm just glad I'm not alone anymore."

Jenni sat down right next Spencer and placed his books on the ground.

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked.

"Well I'm to young to be here also," Jenni replied. "How old are you, Spencer?"

"I'm thirteen," Spencer replied.

"I'm fifteen," Jenni said. "What brings you to college at thirteen?"

"IQ of 187," Spencer said meekly. "What about you?"

"Above average reading level," Jenni replied, standing up. "Now that we know each other so well, let me show you my favorite spot in the entire school."

Spencer didn't even hesitate, he got up and went with Jenni.

They talked and walked. Spencer found out that Jenni had a love for writing and reading. She wanted to be an even more famous than Steven King. She wasn't an only child, but she always felt like one, since her brothers were all grown up and had their own lives. Her mother was always oblivious to the world around her. She never mentioned her father, so Spencer assumed it was sore subject for her and didn't press for details. During her grade years she was constantly bullied for her education skills and lack of social skills.

Spencer quickly calculated that they were almost to the other side of the school and asked,"Are we there yet?"

"We will be," Jenni replied with a small laugh. "I like taking the long way. Walking is very good for the mind and soul."

Spencer nodded and took that into consideration then asked, "How come you're not freaking out about my high IQ and bullying me?"

"I'm not that kind of person. I know what it's like to be the black sheep of the group," Jenni explained. "Just because your smart or super smart doesn't mean you deserve to bullied it just means you're going places and they're not."

Spencer tilted his head in thought of that and said, "I never thought of it like."

Jenni then grabbed Spencer's arm and pulled him into a closet. Before he could say anything, Jenni put her hand over his mouth and a finger to her lips. Seconds later they heard the sound of footsteps and voices going by.

After the sounds were gone Jenni took her hand away and said, "Sorry."

Spencer just nodded. He understood her motive for what she did, she wanted to protect him from any kind of harsh words.

Once the coast was clear, they stepped out of the storage closet and continued their walk. The two walked in silence for a bit, until Spencer spoke up.

"Why do you want to be writer?" Spencer asked.

"Writing has always calmed me down. It's a way to vent for me. I don't keep a journal or anything like. When I get mad or upset, I just start writing with no idea for a story in mind, and by the time I'm done with the story, what I've written is worthy of publishing," Jenni explained. "But I could never bring myself to show anyone my work."

"How did you know you wanted to be one," Spencer asked.

"A few years ago, I was staying over at my brother's house for a week, because my mom was away for work. And one day he just got really mad at me for not finishing my math homework before dinner, so he just sent me to my room and said I couldn't come out for the rest of the night. After about an hour of playing Solitaire, I just picked up a notebook and started writing a love/crime story for no particular reason," Jenni explained. "And every time I got mad or upset after that, I just wrote."

Spencer didn't reply to that as he thought about her story.

After another few minutes of silence Spencer said, "So you figured out what you wanted to be before you even graduated high school. I don't even know what to do with my life."

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it now. You have a whole life to figure out what you want to be," Jenni stated.

Spencer nodded taking that information in then said, "Are we to your spot yet?"

"Almost. The walk there is the journey," Jenni informed him.

Ten minutes later they found themselves in a very similar area.

"We're close to where we started," Spencer stated matter-of-factly.

"I know," Jenni said.

"Why," Spencer asked.

"I told you I would show you my favorite place," Jenni explained.

Jenni the sat down on the bench they were sitting on earlier and said, "This is my favorite place."

"Why didn't you just tell me, instead of taking me all over the whole campus just to end up here again," Spencer asked.

"I told you that the walk was part if the journey," Jenni reminded him.

* * *

Over the course of their time together in college they grew closer and closer until at age seventeen, Jenni left for another college that wasn't so future technology based.

"Jenni, why do you have to go," Spencer asked.

"I don't feel like this the right type of environment for me," Jenni explained. "I don't understand why the world has to be all technology. At this rate we'll have flying cars and robots serving us food at McDonald's. I hope we do get to see each other again in the future. I know for a fact you will always remember me, because of that eidetic memory of yours."

Those were the last words Jenni ever said to him before leaving Cal-Tech early the next morning.

* * *

That was the last time they ever saw each other again. They would write to each other occasionally or talk on the phone, but they never saw each other again due to their jobs.


End file.
